1-Alkylaminoalkylaminoacridones have been reported as possible antischistosomal agents but inactive in antitumor tests; see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,901, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med. 91, 282 (1956) and J. Med. Chem. 6, 185 (1964). The synthesis of 1-substituted amino-4-nitroacridones by reaction of 1-chloro-4-nitroacridone with aliphatic monoamines and amino acids has been described in Roczniki Chemii 51, 2455 (1977).
Antitumor activity has been disclosed for compounds of different chemical structure than the above, such as the compound of the formula ##STR1## in Chem. Abstr. 60, 14471 (1964). Also described as potential anticancer agents in the same reference are 10-substituted-aminoalkylacridones such as, for example, a compound of the formula ##STR2##
Nitracrine, a basically substituted nitroacridine, is being studied as an anticancer agent as reported in Antibiotics 5, 275 (1979).